The dark side of Wonderland
by NeonSyzygy
Summary: What happens when Alice meets a mouse in love with a cat, a bird with multiple-personality-disorder, and two outsiders? Rated T for violence and swearing, plus lots of OC's. Please R&R!
1. Maids and Mice

A/N: My first Alice in the Country of Hearts story (yes, it is based on the Manga). I really enjoyed writing this, as I just finished the 5th book. It's set somewhere between the ball and the end of the 5th book. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Alice in the Country of Hearts (I wish I did though...)

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><p>I'm doing all the OC's included now so I don't have to do them later...<p>

Moullie and Douhla are the property of Phoenix McKay  
>Katerina Perrywinkle is the property of Rebecca White<br>Rose is the property of Erin Richman  
>Victoria and Alleyce are the property of Emma Hall<br>Belle Faux is the property of Victoria Stolz

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><p><strong><em>Dear: <em>**_Alice Liddel_

**_You are cordially invited to a Tea Party, hosted by the Hatter Family._**

**_Place: _**_Hatter Mansion_

**_Time: _**_2pm_

**_Date:_**_Today_

**_We look forward to seeing you there._**

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><p>I looked up from the invitation...and grinned widely to myself. <em>I haven't been to Blood's place in ages...urrgh...I can't believe that I spent almost a week 'trialling' Gowland's mad rides. Although, Boris <em>_**can**__ be very persuasive...But I do miss the misfits from the Mansion._

Walking into the main room of the Clock Tower, I saw Julius sitting at a small wooden table, fixing a clock as usual.

"Julius!" I trilled happily. "I'm going for a tea party at Blood's place! Is that ok?"

He didn't look up. "Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" He laughed quietly. "Go on, and have a good time."

I smiled fondly at him, and headed out the door.

Several minutes later, I came to the gate of the mansion. As usual, Dee and Dum seemed to have run off somewhere, presumably to go and play with their massive weapons arsenal. _Hopefully they won't try to use it on me again..._

Suddenly, there was a rustling behind me. I turned around, surprised...only to see Elliot smiling sheepishly.

He frowned. "Where the hell have those little freaks run off to again? They were supposed to be here waiting for—oh..." He smiled again, and turned towards me. "Blood's been expecting you. Come on!"

As usual, the garden behind the mansion was occupied by a long table and several chairs. The table was covered in a tablecloth, and, as you can probably guess, there was food and a large selection of different teas sitting on the tablecloth.

At the head of the table, looking very dignified was Blood, wearing his tall hat. _Man, he's so hot...but I really need to stop comparing him to..._

He looked up as Elliot and I walked over. He smiled coyly, saying "Good afternoon Alice." Turning to the blonde rabbit/hare beside me, he asked "What took you so long Elliot? It's not like I asked you to take her on a tour of the house."

He chuckled to himself, and shifted his position on the seat as I sat on the chair to his right. He held out a platter of intricately decorated cupcakes for me. It was hard to decide, but I took the pastel green one with a ladybird made from icing on top.

He asked me what I had been doing that had kept me from enjoying the 'lovely company', as he put it, at the mansion, and as I was about to reply and describe the gruesome details of Gowland's rides, a girl, a little older than me, walked up to the table.

She was somewhere in-between mine and Boris' heights, and had messy brown hair down to her waist. She wore a black vest with brown shorts and a white shirt, and she had an air of lazy carelessness about her. _She has mouse ears! They actually suit her..._

Blood looked up and sighed. "I thought I told you to actually **brush **your hair in the mornings. Is everything not related to work that I say to you disregarded?"

The girl- Moullie- snorted. "No," she said "I did brush my hair this morning, but I guess it got messy again when I was running away from that stupid family cat that you keep. If I work here, why the hell do you keep it?"

Blood smiled evilly. "To keep you in line, idiot. Why else? And, while you're here, I might as well introduce you to Alice. Alice, meet Moullie. Moullie, meet Alice."

Moullie glared at him, and then at me, and stalked off back towards the house. _Is she always like that, or is it just me?_

Blood looked back at me. "I know what you're thinking, and yes, she's like that to almost everyone, even her friends."

"Almost?" I asked.

"Mmh. The only person she's actually nice to is that stupid cat from the amusement park."

_Boris? But...isn't she a __**mouse**__? That really doesn't make sense..._

Minutes later, yet another person came out from the mansion. She had red-and-white-streaked black hair, and was almost as tall as Blood. She was also wearing a maid's outfit.

Blood seemed used to interruptions by now. "All finished with the cleaning Rose?"

The girl frowned. "How did you know it was me?"

"I could hear you trampling my garden from a mile away if I had to."

She giggled, and suddenly appeared to notice me. She gave me an absolutely massive smile, and said "You must be Alice! I've heard so much about you, but I haven't gotten the chance to meet you until now, because this slavedriver here," she nodded towards Blood. "Has had me working my ass off!"

I laughed, thinking, _she's kinda mad, although it's not like everyone else here isn't._

Blood scowled, and then looked up at Rose. "If you're all done, then you're free to go, although...I do distinctly remember some clothes that needed—"

"Bye!" Rose interrupted, obviously eager to leave, and skipped off towards the main gate. She stopped to wave once, and then ran off.

A little bit disconcerted by her over-the-top behaviour, I stood up and brushed off the front of my dress.

"I really should be going." I said to Blood, looking up at the darkening sky. "I promise I'll come back soon!"

Blood smiled coyly, saying "Feel free to visit anytime." He stood up. "Goodnight Alice."

"Goodnight to you too!" I started walking back towards the Clock Tower, suddenly tired, and very eager to sleep.

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><p>Wow...that was like the longest chapter I've ever written. Anyway, hope it wasn't too jaw-droppingly bad. I'm not really used to writing is this style, so it may take a while for me to brush it up to scratch. Please Review!<p> 


	2. Tea and Trees

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Alice in the Country of Hearts.

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><p>I lay down in the soft bed at the Clock Tower, and closed my eyes.<p>

And then opened them again...Only to see Nightmare sitting on the ground, drinking tea out of a china cup.

I sat down opposite him, taking the teapot and pouring a cup for myself. "Does everyone here drink tea?" I asked patronisingly.

Nightmare looked thoughtful. "Uh...now that I think about it, yes actually."

I laughed, and grabbed a cube of sugar, dropping it into the aromatic brown liquid. _Man, no matter how hard I try, I can never describe tea to make it sound appealing. _

Nightmare smiled evilly as I lifted the cup to my lips. "You might want to be careful of the sugar in the tea..."

"Why?" I asked, taking a sip. I spat it straight out again and glared at him. "Did you do that?"

"No," he said, taking the cup from me and dumping its contents on the ground, "It's just that you need to remember that things aren't always what they seem."

He stood up, motioning for me to follow him.

"Where are we going? There isn't anywhere else to go here."

Nightmare didn't answer, instead making a 90 degree turn. Seconds later, we came to a dead, twisted, shadowy tree. Perched upon it was a black raven, with really creepy red, shining eyes.

"I wanted to show you this, Alice."

I frowned. "Is there something I'm supposed to be seeing here?"

Nightmare placed a hand on my shoulder, and pointed at the bird. "Look closer."

I stared at it...and as the bird turned its head, the face changed. The eyes were white instead of red, and it looked way less creepy.

Nightmare looked at me. "Do you know see what I mean? The bird has two faces, both very different, but it can still be dangerous. You may want to...keep an eye out for it."

And with that, I woke up.

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><p>Just a short chapter...I wanted Nightmare to foreshadow some of the later events, but I couldn't make it any longer. Please review!<p> 


	3. Birds and Black

**A/N:** Ta da! The next chapter, finally. Thankyou for my lovely reviewers: BobTheSmexyTurtle, Tori and SHINee4ever. Just a quick note, this is the first chapter where I change the point of view (It changes to Victoria's, who you'll meet later) but I will be doing that more often.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Alice in the Country of Hearts.

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><p>I sat up in the soft bed, looking around at the sparsely furnished room. As I got dressed, I decided to visit Vivaldi at Heart Castle.<p>

Walking through the forest separating the different areas of the country, I thought about the curious girls that I had met yesterday- Moullie and Rose.

Moullie was rude, and seemed to really hate Blood, but from what he said, she was nice to **Boris **of all people, the one that made the least sense.

Rose was...creepy. Ok, if she had toned down the 'super-duper-ultra-happy' meter a bit, she'd probably be pretty nice, but to be honest? She just freaked me out.

I was so engrossed in thought that I didn't notice that I had arrived at Heart Castle. I think you can probably guess what happened next.

"Aaaaaliiiiiice!" (Are you really that surprised?)...and then I was crushed in a giant hug.

"Hello Peter..." I said unenthusiastically.

"My beautiful Alice! How are you! Wait...why haven't you been here for so long? Has some other man stolen your affections for me?"

I groaned and turned to him. "No, I was busy doing some, uh, favours for different people." Peter scowled. "Okay then. Come on!" He pulled me inside the Castle with my arm.

Standing in the throne room, I couldn't help marvelling again at the sheer size of it. You could fit a whole house in there-and possibly a bakery too.

Looking up, I saw Vivaldi, the Queen of Hearts, sitting regally on her throne, with an unknown person standing to her left. She looked really goth...or maybe more goth-punk. Her large pannier skirt was striped black-and white, and she wore a red lace-up corset over it. She had long black gloves, ripped black socks and black-and-white buckled platform boots.

But that wasn't the most disconcerting part.

Behind her head of curled black hair, were two massive black wings. As you can tell, I guessed that she was probably part raven or crow or some other bird.

Vivaldi stood up as she saw me enter, and gracefully descended the staircase. I curtseyed, smiling, as she stopped in-front of me, with the girl trailing a meter or two behind.

"Alice," she said, "We would like you to meet our lady-in-waiting, Victoria."

Victoria stepped forward, curtseyed and nodded, saying "Pleased to meet you ma'am."

"Please, call me Alice." I said.

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><p>"Please, call me Alice." She said.<p>

I smiled at her and nodded politely. _I don't know how I'm going to get used to that...I'm so used to calling everyone by their proper titles..._

Vivaldi inclined her head to draw the attention back to herself. "Victoria will take you to our chambers, as we must talk to Peter on a matter of some urgency. We will join you as soon as we can."

Alice smiled brightly and I stepped forward, saying "This way ma—Alice..."

Walking through the corridors there was an awkward silence between us. Alice seemed to be trying to break it. "So...when did you come to work here?"

Quietly, I answered "I was given the position when I was 14. I'm 17 now, and I've been working for her Highness ever since."

She nodded and nervously fiddled with her hair. "Do you have any siblings or family that you left behind?"

I stopped walking. _No, no, no, no...I don't need your help! Go away...Leave me alone!_

I felt my head go dizzy, and I covered my mouth to cough. My hand came away sticky and red. As the edges of my vision fluttered black like the wings of butterflies, I heard a voice in my head. The one voice I never wanted to hear.

_Hey there, freak. My turn!_

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><p>Dun dun dun! Sounds dramatic, right? XD I'll show you who or what it is next chapter.<br>Please review! It keeps me writing...Thanks!


	4. Swords and Secrets

Um, mild swear warning this chapter...

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><p>Curious, I asked "Do you have any siblings or family that you left behind?" I was several meters away before I realised that the heavy footsteps beside me had stopped.<p>

I turned, wondering what was wrong. Victoria was kneeling on the tiled floor, her hands clutching at her mass of black curls. Even from a distance, I could her mad, raving whispering...

"No, no, no, no, no...go away, just leave me alone..." She let out a terrified sob. "I don't need your fucking help!" she screamed.

I moved forward and put my arm around her shoulders as she started coughing loudly. The tiles were soon slippery with blood.

Suddenly, her hacking stopped. "Hey...are you alright?" I asked.

A smirk came over her blood-covered lips, like a sick sort of theatrical paint. "Alright? Ha ha... What a joke..." She slowly turned her head to me, grinning like one of those rotating clowns in circus sideshows, and I saw that the whites of her eyes, stark against red pupils, had turned jet black.

"I've never been better!" she yelled.

Victoria-or whatever she had become-pushed me away, stronger than seemed possible for a girl her size, and I slammed hard against a wall, all breath leaving my chest. Sliding down, I watched her get up and walk over to me, pulling two long, thin, matching swords from beneath her wings.

She crouched down, still grinning like a madman. "Victoria, what the hell are you doing?" I asked, still gasping for air. She glared at me, and I swear her eyes were flames from Hell at that moment.

Slowly, like talking to a child, she told me "My name...is not Victoria. She's the bitch that sits at the front of this traffic jam in here, pretending that she doesn't care about anyone except her boyfriend and that stupid Queen, that she doesn't care anymore about what happened to Ebony...If you could see the inside of her head...it's such a fucking mess. There's two millimetres squared where everything is perfect, and the rest of it is like a bomb. It's sitting there, and when it goes off, I can take over."

She sneered, and pressed one of the blades to my throat, drawing a thin line of blood. "So, as I said earlier, my name is not Victoria. I am Alleyce, and this head is my territory now."

Chuckling, she started, "Now, where shall I—"

"ALLEYCE!" yelled the voice.

Alleyce/ Victoria spun, and I saw that it had been Vivaldi who had yelled. The skinny girl pressing the sword to my throat slitted her eyes and practically growled at her. She stood up, grabbing the front if my dress and pulling me up with her as she did so. Blood dripped down and stained my collar, and I swayed, feeling blackness flutter at the edges of my vision.

"Step any closer and this whore here dies." Alleyce snarled. Then I realised something. Vivaldi probably had spies all over the palace. She would have known about Victoria's change, and would never have come without a plan. From the look in her eyes, she had one, but with Alleyce trying to kill me, we had a serious problem. The only thing to do...was to get me out of the way.

Crossing my fingers that it worked, I forced my legs to slip out from under me put all my weight on the arm holding me up. The thing I certainly didn't expect was that, surprised by the sudden weight, Alleyce would let go, but of course she did. So, the last thing I saw of that particular fight was Vivaldi's shocked face, and the floor rushing closer in my peripheral vision. So much for seeing what happened.

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><p>I opened my eyes to a white ceiling, unlike the one in the corridor, which had been black (<em>Although, how do you paint the ceiling?<em>), a heavy weight on the side of the bed that I was lying in, and a killer headache. Trying to prop myself up, a stab of pain shot through my head and I slumped back down.

"Please, do not attempt to get up." Came a voice from my side. "It will only make recovering harder.' Said Vivaldi. "Uhh..." I groaned. "What happened?"

She frowned. "Well, before we can explain what happened, we must tell you more about Victoria."

"She grew up in a small cottage on the edge of the land between our and our brother's land, with her parents and twin sister, a frail girl called Ebony. When Victoria was 11, she left the house one day to visit the woods. She says that she cannot remember why she went there, but only that she wanted to play with someone. She went back to her house, only to find her parents and sister lying on the ground with their throats cut.

When our brother found her about an hour later, he thinks, he said that she was covered in blood and would scream and cry when anyone tried to approach her. Eventually, she fell asleep, but by that time the madness had already taken over her mind. When she woke up in our brother's mansion, she tried to kill many people, saying that it was her 'payment.' Guards managed to subdue her eventually, and she was locked in a special room underneath the rose garden. Our brother said that it was very hard keeping her there. Some days she was silent, the next she would laugh and curse the world like a maniac, but more often her sanity took over and she would claw and the door, screaming to be let out. We think that was when her separate personality- Alleyce- took form.

One day, however, when Victoria was 14, the murderer was captured. When told, she immediately became totally calm, and stayed like that for 3 weeks, the longest she had ever kept her sanity. Blood decided to let her out, and she came to work for us...So that is her story. What you just experienced was her mad personality reasserting itself. It calls itself Alleyce, as you learnt. Whenever her old memories resurface, or she feels angry, it will take over, and she seems to be trying to get revenge for something, probably the death of her sister. We are sorry that it happened to you...it is something that very few people know about."

I smiled at her. "That's alright...it wasn't your or her fault. I'll be totally fine."

She smiled back and stood up. "That is good for us to know. We will visit you tomorrow...and there is something we must tell you afterwards."

Before I could ask her what it was, she gracefully walked out the door and disappeared from my sight.

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><p>Wow, again, a very long chapter...This is mainly in payment, because I'm not going to be able to write much in the next few weeks, because of homework and assignment overload at school.<p>

Please review! It makes me really happy to see them in my Inbox =D


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